Maduro blames Venezuela blackout on opponents

Residents pour onto streets as blackout hits nation in what President says was an act against his socialist government.

03 Dec 2013 05:18 GMT

The blackout began as Maduro addressed the nation in a press conference [AFP]

A power outage briefly darkened Venezuela's capital and other parts of the country in what President Nicolas Maduro said was an act of sabotage against his socialist government.

The blackout began shortly after 8:00PM on Monday night, as Maduro was addressing the nation about his plan to reduce inflation battering the automotive industry.

Within minutes, people in downtown Caracas could be heard banging on pots in an act of protest.

Maduro, deprived of the airwaves, then took to Twitter to say that he and his aides were monitoring the "strange blackout that occurred in the same place as the last act of sabotage".

Later, when power was restored, he ordered the armed forces on maximum alert to prevent attacks that he said were being planned by his opponents against the electric grid and the nation's oil installations.

Maduro in recent days had warned that his opponents might try to sabotage the electrical grid to gain advantage in nationwide elections for mayors taking place on Sunday.

The late President Hugo Chavez used to levy the same charge, also without presenting any evidence, as blackouts became more frequent in recent years.

"These sectors of fascism are getting desperate, because they know a defeat is coming," Maduro said in remarks that extended for more than four hours.

Power started coming back on in Caracas within 10 minutes, and Electricity Minister Jesse Chacon later told state television that electricity had been restored to most of the city but was still out in several regions of the country.

The blackout originated in central Venezuela, the same place where a power failure in September knocked out electricity to 70 percent of the country, he said.